Disney Destination? What You Need to Know About Vacation Travel During Hurricane Season

By InsuranceHotline.com Team

Hurricane season is underway, and that means additional risks for travellers, especially those heading to the coastal U.S. for vacations. Areas popular with Canadian tourists, that could be affected by catastrophic weather events such as a hurricane, include:

The East and Gulf coasts of the United States (Florida in particular)

Mexico and Central America

The Caribbean

Canada’s Atlantic coast

Hurricanes can have a dramatic impact on your travel plans. Big storms can ground flights, prompt mandatory evacuations, and completely disrupt your family vacation. How can you protect yourself against having your travel plans swept away by gale-force winds?

Monitoring Weather Alerts and Warnings

The majority of large hurricanes come with a significant amount of early warning, as they advance slowly from the ocean and build steam as they approach landfall. If there is a storm system brewing, consider postponing your family adventure until a more advantageous time. You can check the travel advisories as well as the Hurricane Center to find out if there are concerns near your travel destination.

Buying Trip Cancellation Insurance to Protect your FInances

Having travel insurance can help protect you in the event of delayed flights and lost baggage. Purchasing specific trip cancellation insurance can help you recoup your costs if your trip is cancelled due to circumstances beyond your control. Trip cancellation insurance can cover non-refundable parts of your trip, such as

Flight cancellation due to weather

Natural disaster at home

Travel advisory regarding destination

Travel interruptions due to delayed flights

Loss of baggage or baggage delays

Timing Your Trip Cancellation Insurance Purchase

Put your trip in the best position by purchasing trip cancellation insurance as soon as you begin booking flights and tickets; at least 48-72 hours before you start travelling. Check which portions of your trip are non-refundable and consider travel insurance that includes trip cancellation to help defray these costs.

By the time the Government of Canada issues a travel advisory or warning, or the World Meteorological Organization names the hurricane, it is typically too late to purchase trip cancellation insurance. Buy early if there’s even a chance that a storm could delay or disrupt your travel plans.

Knowing the Difference Between Cancellation and Interruption

Trip cancellation insurance usually includes trip interruption insurance as well, which covers incidents that can disrupt your trip without outright cancelling it. Trip interruptions may include:

Hotel bookings resulting from being stranded between flights

Missed flight connections (including weather or flight delay)

Medical emergencies (whether caused by a weather event or not) forcing you to return home early

Mandatory evacuations, such as hurricane-prompted requests from city mayors or state governors

Assaults (such as a mugging or other attack) on you or a travel companion. These can be common during vulnerable times such as extreme weather events

Preplanning and having travel insurance and trip cancellation policies in place can help you recover from a scrapped trip - and save the funds for another (less rainy) vacation.

Compare Travel Insurance Plans

Find the plan that's right for you and compare different travel insurance packages and quotes. Start by entering your postal code.

Not ready to shop for insurance today?

Set a renewal reminder and we'll let you know when it's time to start shopping for savings.

This email is invalid

Also subscribe to InsuranceHotline.com's Insider Newsletter.

Yes, I would like to receive InsuranceHotline.com electronic renewal reminder emails as well as The Insider Newsletter if I checked the box above to get relevant articles, tips, alerts, and news. I am able to unsubscribe at any given time.

Our Users Say

1,099 reviews on TrustPilot.
See some of the reviews here.

appreciationPrompt response was appreciated. Agent very helpful with info.
I needed to supply.

0 years agopatricia Manning

I loved that InsuranceHotline.com was fast and easy to useI loved how fast and easy it was to use InsuranceHotline.com to compare insurance quotes. By using InsuranceHotline.com I found a new insurance broker and new insurance company that will save me almost $50 per month compared to my current home and auto insurance. If you're looking for cheaper insurance, start here.

0 years agoJennifer A.

Good but a little too highMy manager did it for me. He asked me questions and it seemed pretty easy to follow.

0 years agoFrancine

Got the best rate and a wonderful…Got the best rate and a wonderful broker!

0 years agoMarijana G

Michael Washington was amazing and took…Michael Washington was amazing and took the time to go over everything in detail. Really nice to have someone know their job extremely well and walk you through the process. Thanks M.W. for going over my file and saving me money.

0 years agoBMorales

Was very simple and easyWas very simple and easy. Would recommend it.

0 years agoM. M.

Done with easeDone with ease, and several leads

0 years agoBurton Hamilton

prompt and very informativeprompt and very informative.
lots of information about various auto insurance companies.

0 years agonizar premji

Fast and efficient !I use the website to find my car insurance quotes. It was easy to use and the response was quick. I called the provider with the cheapest quote and was happy with their service.

0 years agoKim

Quick and easy with multiple choices…Quick and easy with multiple choices for travel insurance options. Only thing that didn’t work on my I phone was the policy wordings, when I clicked to open it the brochure did not download on my iPhone

Our site uses cookies to provide the best online experience.
By continuing to browse the site, or clicking okay, you agree to allow cookies.
Our privacy policy has more information on the use of cookies and how to manage them.
OK